The Newsstreak
February 25, 2011
1000-pound club building muscle
Shane says...
Anastasiya Kalyuk
Who’s the best player you’ve never heard of? Shane McMahan
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Maggie Siciliano-Sports - B7
staff reporter
righam Young’s Jimmer Fredette is the best player you have never heard of. He does not play for a power conference school. He was not highly recruited out of high school. He is not flashy on the court, isn’t boastful off the court, but, nonetheless, he is the most prolific scorer and the most dynamic player in college basketball. As of Feb 1, Fredette averaged 27.6 points per game, tops in the nation, to go along with nearly five assists and four rebounds. He shoots an impressive 43 percent from beyond the arc, and has led the Cougars to a 20-2 record, and a national ranking. Fredette has also caught the eye of many NBA superstars, including Kevin Durant, who tagged Fredette as the “best scorer in the world.” Fredette is often compared to Steve Nash, a top-five point guard in the NBA. Now, being compared to a top-five NBA point guard while you are still in college is certainly something to hang your hat on. When Stephen Curry finished his remarkable campaign a few years back, critics questioned whether or not he had the skills to compete in the NBA. Curry is now the starting point guard for the Golden State Warriors, and is not only a three-point threat like he was in college. Fredette’s body size is also much better than Curry’s when he entered the NBA. Fredette recently torched the previously unbeaten San Diego State Aztecs for 43 points, the third time in a four-game span he had eclipsed the 40 point mark. Fredette should lead BYU deep into March madness. With a scorer like Fredette, the sky is the limit. Fredette will be a top-10 pick in the 2011 NBA draft, he will make a name for himself in the NBA, and not just as a scorer. Fredette has also been recognized in the music industry. The infamous “Teach Me How To Dougie” dance has a new look. That new look is called “Teach Me How To Jimmer”. In today’s society, that is quite an accomplishment. Being a well-rounded player, Fredette will be successful wherever he plays. Jimmer Fredette, the best player you have never heard of.
staff reporter
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have to work a certain muscle group, and that builds strength over time, I just started benching so I’m at 125, but I’m hoping to get up to 250,” Turner said.
he 1000 pound club is devoted to getting stronger and building muscle. They lift five days a week. Not only do they lift weights, they also do about 25 minutes of cardio workouts every day. This includes ab work outs and occasionally games. “They keep a journal to keep track of how much they bench and to keep track of what muscle groups they worked out that day,” physical education teacher Chris Grefe said. Four times a year students ‘max’ the amount of weight they can bench to see how much they have improved since the beginning of the class. “Most of my students go 200 pounds up in muscle,” Grefe said. Most members lift after school in addition to taking the class, “I mostly bench for football,” senior Ryan Fletcher said. The kind of exercises that students need to do to build mus- Catch. Junior Conner Whitehouse and senior Mark Mullenex cle are bench pressing, incline benching, decline benching, do excercises with a medicine ball during weightlifting class. chest flies, push-ups and the dumbbell press. Students participate in a wide array of exercises in hopes of “I just run outside of class, but plenty of them bench for building muscle. Photo by Maria Rose sports. I do it to stay in shape,” senior Patrick Turner said. Lifting so much weight can be intimidating, that is why some students start to get discouraged about maxing in a weight class opposed to the weight they normally lift. “Maxing your weight is different than just working out. Sometimes you have to think in your head that you can definitely lift the weight, even though it looks heavy,” Fletcher said. “It feels like a burning sensation in your muscles, but the outlet of energy feels great afterward,” Turner said. Goals are important in weight training. That is how students get the results they are looking for. “I started out at 270, I’m trying to build up to 290 or more. I don’t want to have an unrealisSenior Irina Kukolj practices cable crossovers on the Cybex lifting equipment. Photo by Matic goal either,” Fletcher said. “To lift so much weight you ria Rose
Senior maxing out in weight lifting class Peter Byrd
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staff reporter
hashayar Dashtpour is in his fourth semester of weight training. “Kash”, as he is called by fellow students, takes weight training to stay physically fit and to build muscle. “When I first started I benched 145 lbs, cleaned 135 lbs,and squatted 275 lbs,” said Dashtpour. Now, after four semesters of pumping iron, he is able to bench 315 lbs, clean
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240 lbs and squat a mind-boggling 460 lbs, more than former star offensive linemen Landon Turner. He is a member of the 1000-lb club. This club is comprised of students who have a sum of their bench press, squat, and clean which is equal to or greater than 1000 lbs. He received a t-shirt for his feat and can be seen roaming the halls in his new apparel. Dashtpour’s favorite machine is the squat machine explosion, and fittingly so. Surprisingly, Dashtpour’s favorite part of the class is the warm-up games at the beginning of class which consist of basket-
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Griffin becoming force in NBA
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lake Griffin is a man among boys. He was the number one overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. He had to sit out the entire 2009-2010 campaign after landing awkwardly on his foot in a preseason game, after a monstrous dunk. Now Griffin is the front-runner for Rookie of the Year (Because he missed the entire season, his official rookie season is this year). He has been a dominant force for the Clippers averaging 22.6 points per game, 12.7 rebounds and numerous jaw-dropping plays every night that leave fans scratching their head wondering how a human being can be so athletically gifted. The 21-year old Griffin is second in the league in dunks, second only to Dwight Howard, one of the games’ superstars. The 6’10, 251 lb soft-spoken Griffin was born and raised in Oklahoma City. He attended Oklahoma University where he led the school to a number one ranking during the regular season, a number two seed in the NCAA tournament, and a berth in the Sweet 16 beofre being upset by the Syracuse Orangemen. Now, the rookie is an NBA All-Star, a Slam Dunk Contest participant, a potential second or third team All-NBA selection, as well as the probable Rookie of the Year, but, he plays for a less then stellar team. The Clippers have been in the shadow of the Los Angeles Lakers, a team they share an arena with, for as long as I can remember (I started watching basketball at age three). Griffin is providing a new life for Clippers’ fans who have had nothing to cheer about in the past decade. Griffin is already considered the most exciting player in the game according to a recent fan poll, more than doubling the votes of NBA superstars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Griffin, a low-key guy who does not appreciate all the limelight, notes that it’s exciting to garner personal accolades; however, the only accolade he really wants is the Larry O’Brien Trophy, given to the NBA champions. But for Griffin, the struggling Clippers were 15 games below .500 through Feb15, the only realistic trophy that seems plausible for this year is the Rookie of the Year one.
Ripped. Senior Khashayar Dashtpour “cleans” around 195 pounds during his second period weightlifting class. Photo By Maria Rose
ball, football, volleyball, or soccer. “I actually like to play 21-football and basketball before going into the weight room because it gets me warmed up and I am then ready to work.” Weight training is his favorite class and he recommends it to others if they are looking to get stronger, gain weight, lose weight, whatever it may be. He warns those people who are considering taking the class to try their hardest on everything to get the most in return because doing everything 50% will not help. “It is a great class if you like working out or if you want a break in your day from all of the rigorous, academic classes that you have to take. One day each week you have to run the mile and one day you have to do P90X, which is an intense ab workout that pushes you to the extreme. The other three days of the week you get to play games where designated team captains draft their teams to compete. You play a warm up game for about 20 minutes and then you go to the weight room to workout. It is a repeating pattern in terms of the workout. One day you will do biceps and shoulders, the next day you will do chest and back, and the next day you will do triceps and legs. Every workout is important if you want to get stronger. Strong shoulders help you clean more, a strong chest and arms help your bench press, and legs and back help your squat. Biceps, they are just for show,” Dashtpour said.
Race fans gear up for NASCAR kick-off Michael Johnson
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Sports editor
ccording to daytonainternationalspeedway.com, it is the most exciting and prestigious stock car race in the world. The Daytona 500 kicked off the NASCAR season on Feb 20 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Junior Shane Doyle is one of those people who gets excited for the race. “I enjoy NASCAR because it is fun to see when the cars crash as long as no one gets hurt,” Doyle said. Doyle got into NASCAR (aka The
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) when he was 10 years old. It all started when his cousin took him to a race. “Like a lot of people, I have always enjoyed Jeff Gordon because he never over reacts. I do not really hate any particular racer.
They all have their ups and downs at times,” Doyle said. The race consists of 500 miles. One lap at Daytona Speedway is 2.5 miles
long. “I do not really keep track of how long a race usually lasts,” Doyle said. “I just watch the race for fun and to kill time.” Junior Ben Harris is also a NASCAR fan ever since he was nine years old. “I like NASCAR because I like following my favorite driver who is Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” Harris said. “I like him because he wins a lot and makes money doing what I think is an easy job.” Harris was introduced to NASCAR by his friend Levi Bare who was also a die hard Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan. “I am definitely looking forward to watching the Daytona 500,” Harris said.
Student refs enjoy participating with young people Shane McMahan
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staff reporter
enior Scott Measell found basketball refereeing an easy way to make money. Senior classmate Mark Mullenex agreed that making money watching something that you enjoy is “awesome.” “It’s an easy way to make money and have fun doing it,” Measell said. Measell referees “one or two” times a week at local youth recreational basketball games. Though making $10 a game is not anything special, it fits the job perfectly. Mullenex started refereeing youth soccer games “one or two
years” ago, and still does on occasion. Now possessing a job at Mrs. Greenes at James Madison University, Mullenex does not have as much time as he used to. “I like refereeing, but don’t have as much time to do it anymore,” Mullenex said. Mullenex makes around $20 a game to referee a soccer game, a fairly decent amount for the job at hand. He doesn’t have as much time, especially this spring, because he plays for the varsity soccer team. Senior Priscilla Harrison also had found soccer refereeing a great way to make money. Harrison has been refereeing for “a few years now,” and plans to continue to do so. “I like refereeing because it is a pretty easy way to make money,” Harrison said.